Honey Sriracha Salmon with Sesame Zoodles

Holy moly! This dish is exact proof that meals don't have to be complicated to taste delicious. This lunch/dinner can be thrown together in under 20 minutes, and it is so, so tasty! Who needs takeout? Not I!

Ingredients (serves 1)

Ingredients for Salmon:

• 1 filet of wild salmon
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha

Ingredients for Sesame Zoodles

• 2 medium-large zucchinis
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 450 Fahrenheit. Place salmon filet on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Spread honey evenly over top of salmon filet, followed by Sriracha. Bake for 15 minutes or until fish is throughly cooked and flaky.

2. While salmon is baking, cut both zucchinis in half crosswise, and slice off both ends. Spiralize using a small noodle blade.

3. Heat up sesame oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add zucchini noodles to pan and toss. Add soy sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes, tossing occasionally so noodles cook evenly. Remove from heat and add sesame seeds. 

4. Transfer to a plate and top with salmon. Serve warm. 

Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh

I bought a bag of cauliflower rice from Trader Joe's the other day, and as I was looking at the little pieces, I couldn't help but to think how perfect they would be in a tabbouleh (tabouli? I get confused which one to use!). Boy was I right! This easy-to-make salad is all raw, but it's filled with flavor, especially from my favorite combination of olive oil and lemon. I also especially like the added crunch that the riced cauliflower gives to the salad. Consider adding in some chickpeas for extra protein, or even drizzle on some harissa for a little spicy kick!

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 2 cups riced cauliflower
• 3 Persian cucumbers, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped into quarters
• 3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 2/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 3 small lemons
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine cauliflower, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onion, mint, and parsley in a bowl.

2. Add olive oil and lemon juice, and toss until evenly coated. Add a dash of salt and pepper, to taste.

Vegan Waffled Grilled Cheese With Kale And Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 2 slices of whole grain bread
• 4 tablespoons Kite Hill cream cheese spread
• 1 cup kale
• 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil spray/olive oil spray

1. Prepare sweet potato either baking at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour or by microwaving for 6-8 minutes.

2. Preheat your waffle iron to medium heat. While waffle iron is heating up, spread cream cheese on one slice of bread. Scoop out sweet potato and place on top of bread slice, mashing down with a fork. 

3. Heat up olive oil in a small pan on medium-low heat. Add kale, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until kale is wilted. Add on top of sweet potato, and cover with other piece of bread. Slice sandwich in half.

4. Spray waffle iron with a little bit of olive oil or coconut oil. Add sandwich halves to waffle iron, and close. Cook for 1-2 minute until bread becomes crisp and golden. Serve warm. 

Harissa Tofu Over Sesame Sweet Potato Noodles and Kale

This spicy tofu dish is completely plant-based — not to mention gluten-free as well. When buying tofu, it's important to buy organic so it's not made with genetically modified soy. I used harissa from Trader Joes, but I also have a recipe on my own that's really easy if you don't have any harissa jars on hand. 

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/2 large sweet potato
• 1 cup kale
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons harissa (either pre-made or use my recipe here)
• 4 ounces organic firm tofu
• Sprig of parsley

1. Cut off both ends of sweet potato, and slice in half. Spiralize using a small noodle blade.

2. Heat up sesame oil in a large pan on medium low heat. Add sweet potato noodles along with kale, and cook for about 5 minutes until kale is wilted and sweet potato noodles begin to soften. Toss both vegetables occasionally to make sure they cook evenly. Cover when cooking if necessary. 

3. When sweet potato noodles and kale are ready, transfer to a plate, with kale on top of noodles.

4. Add harissa to a small/medium bowl. Slice tofu into 1/2 inch slices, and dip each side into the harissa so it's evenly coated. Add tofu to the same pan, and cook on medium heat on each side for about 1-2 minutes until tofu begins to get brown and crisp on the outside.

5. Add tofu to plate and top with any extra harissa. Top with parsley and serve warm. 

Salmon "Poke" Bowl with Lemon Soy Sauce

Poke is one of my favorite food trends to pop up in recent years. I myself am a huge fan of raw fish, and a poke bowl is loaded with so many goodies, how could you not love it? I've been trying to cook more fish at home, so I had the idea to make a poke-inspired bowl using cooked salmon and quinoa. The result was so delicious! If you happen to have sashimi-grade fish accessible to you, you can always swap out the cooked salmon for that instead for your own homemade poke bowl.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 wild-caught salmon filet (about 4-5 ounces)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 2 tablespoons shredded carrots
• 1 stalk of green onion, chopped
• 1 sheet of dried seaweed
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Ingredients for Lemon Soy Sauce

• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add salmon filet to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Top with garlic and squeeze lemon juice over the salmon. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until salmon is cooked through. When salmon has cooled for 5 minutes or so, cut into slices. 

2. Add cooked quinoa to a medium-large bowl. Add salmon slices to one section, followed by sliced cucumber, avocado, and shredded carrot. Top with green onion.

3. Crumble seaweed sheet with your fingers and sprinkle over the bowl along with shredded coconut. 

4. To make sauce, combine soy sauce and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over bowl and serve immediately. Top with Sriracha, if desired.